Riffing On The Times, January 9th, 2010

TOP STORIES

U.S. Job Losses in December Dim Hopes for Quick Upswing
Though party still going strong on Wall St.

Courts Whittle Spending Limits in Election Law
Supreme Court paves way, again, for corporate free-for-all

From Battlefield to Ivy League, on the G.I. Bill
Veterans find violence of rugby preferable to serving in the middle east

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

"I wasn’t in the classroom anymore. I wasn’t transported all the way back to Baghdad, but I could feel just the rush of emotions that accompanies something like that — the immediate adrenaline rush, the anxiety that comes with it, the hyper-vigilance, when I start trying to become very aware of my surroundings, to ensure that nothing is going to go off behind me."
CAMERON BAKER, an veteran of the Iraq war who is studying at Columbia University, on his reaction to someone accidentally dropping a textbook in the hallway.

WORLD

Across Divide in Iraq, Sunni Courts Shiites
Govt. plans fresh production of West Side Story to soften religious rivalry; music by D.J. Cool Mohammed

U.S. Has Few Resources to Face Threats in Yemen
Govt. to employ Facebook gossip to aid in war on terror

Cancer Risks Debated for Type of X-Ray Scan
Airport scanners added to list of health fears Americans obsess over


U.S.

A Newly Frugal Generation Revives Discount Dining
"It's amazing what these restaurants throw away," says unemployed, former student.

Winter Breaks Budgets and Rules the Road
Local governments claim "low-salt diet" increase road longevity, though admittedly not drivers'

By Landing Fleet, Small Port Sets Off a Storm of Envy
Oregon hamlet promises "kadjillion-dollar" tax abatement in race to bottom with other coastal states; sailors promised legalized same-sex marriage & show-tunes streaming at dock

BUSINESS

Obama Tries to Turn Focus to Jobs, if Other Events Allow
Public preoccupation with his nose-hair proves distracting

Unions Rally to Oppose a Proposed Tax on Health Insurance
Say tax on congressional hypocrisy and corruption would more than breach the gap

A Sri Lankan Underdog Battles Global Tea Giants
Proposes actual tea party in Boston harbor; locals confused.